CONGREGATION TO VOTE TODAY ON FIRING PASTOR

The six-month saga at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church is expected to climax today, as members of the Fort Lauderdale congregation vote on whether to keep or fire the pastor.

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian's fate will be decided in a special meeting required by denominational church law after dissidents turned in almost 400 petitions calling for his ouster.

The meeting, closed to the public, will take the place of the church's regular 11 a.m. worship service.

Members of the Presbyterian Church in America, based in Atlanta, will run the meeting to ensure fairness, said Mark DeMoss, a Christian public relations specialist hired as church spokesman.

The vote will affect the direction of a church long admired - and criticized - for its religious and political activism.

Coral Ridge, where about 2,000 attend, has championed evangelism, Bible-based faith and quality education. It also has hosted conservative-theme rallies that mustered thousands against abortion, same-sex marriage, the teaching of evolution and other matters.

Tchividjian, a grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, was overwhelmingly elected by a congregational vote March 15. He became only the second senior pastor of the 50-year-old church, after the late Rev. D. James Kennedy.

Coral Ridge also merged with New City Church, a younger congregation founded by Tchividjian in 2003.

Half a dozen dissidents - including Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy, the late pastor's daughter - have protested the rapid pace of changes under Tchividjian's leadership.

The six have accused him of deserting Coral Ridge's dignified, high-church worship for a contemporary worship style.

They also have said Tchividjian replaced many of the church's staff with his own and that church officials have pressured members to support him.

He and the church elders banned the six from church grounds, accusing them of stirring up dissension.

A judiciary commission met with them Aug. 26, in a process that could lead to a hearing on whether to excommunicate them.

The six have filed a complaint with the Presbytery of Southern Florida, saying the ban was done without "due process," contrary to church law.

"They thought we didn't have enough names [to call for the vote]," said Romeo DeMarco, one of the six main petitioners. "Now, we're looking forward to a fair and impartial vote of the congregation."

At today's meeting, much of the format will be determined by rules on which the congregants vote at the start of the meeting. An equal number will be permitted to speak from each side, DeMoss said.

Church elders declined to comment. But in a Sept. 9 letter, they urged the congregation to keep Tchividjian.

Tchividjian and other leaders have conceded they made "mistakes" in the transition, but they denied any wrongdoing.

In a letter to the Sun Sentinel, Tchividjian wrote that churches are not "conflict-exempt" and that they sometimes fall short of their ideals.

"Change can be difficult in any context," he wrote. "I remain committed to serving our one new church and the community. . . . Please bear with us as we grow and change."

James D. Davis can be reached at jdavis @SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4730.